Snowflakes
by masaaki
Summary: A story of how Deidara and Sakura met and how their lives became entwined in the future. May contain spoilers. -Pending Re-write-
1. Prologue

Most probably multi-chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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**Snowflakes.**

_Oh how she loved winter. It signaled the start of a white wonderland and the journey to her aunt's home. She was glad to leave the place where all the kids always picked on her because of her large forehead. So every winter, her family would go through the same routine. They would leave Konoha and the Fire Country to travel to Iwagakure._

**Crunch.**

_She remembered the sound of the snow crunching beneath their feet as they trudged through paths and trails steadily. Their breaths came out of their mouths in little puffs of clouds and a tint of pink stained their cheeks while they edged closer to their destination._

For years it had been like that. However, when she was ten, something else happened along the way. She met someone she would not and could not forget. He was a blonde and his hair was held up in a pony tail, save for a long fringe which hung over one eye. Snow had started to gather atop of his head and she would've laughed if she had not been in such pain. His amber eye (the visible one), captivated both of her emerald ones and she could not help but stare back at him with unfocused eyes. The cold frost seeped through her clothes as she lay on the snow covered ground.

**Cold.**

This was all she remembered before she was taken by the darkness…

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REVIEWS!!! PLOT IDEAS!!! i'll give you candy! v 


	2. Windmills & Candy

Yes! Chapter 2. OUT!

I would like o dedicate this chapter to Circles in the Stream. She really helped me out when I was having the dreaded, 'writers' block syndrome'. Heheh. v

Thank you Circles in the Stream! (:

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.

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**Soft.**

Slowly, she stirred and attempted to open her eyes, and was almost blinded by the sun's rays (A/N: Even though it's still winter, there's still sun right?!). After her eyes had adjusted to the huge amount of light entering it, she groggily attempted to raise her head and glance around the room. No one else was in it save for herself. Half-lidded orbs roamed the small, cozy and simply built quarters. The furnishings were made of some kind of dark wood. There was a bedside table with a small lamp on it to her left and a window next to it. A dining table and chair set for two occupied the little space opposite a door. There was a small kitchen behind the dining table. Everything about the room was old. Paint was peeling off the walls and ceilings. Sakura slowly lifted herself from the soft sheets of the bed she lay on.

Sitting up, her memories suddenly flooded her brain. Her eyes widened and she froze on the spot. Deidara came into the room just then, carrying a plastic bag of what one can assume to be food and set it down on the dining table. Seeing the pink-haired girl sitting up in bed staring into space alarmed him and when she started to convulse, he quickly rushed over and knelt by her bedside. Shaking her gently, he tried to snap her out of her convulsed state.

"Are you okay, un? Everything's alright, un."

Okay, obviously his soft-approach was NOT working. So he shook her HARDER, with a look of concern etched onto his face. This time, it seemed to elicit some sort of response from the fair-complexioned girl. She started mumbling, fear and shock still evident in her green pools.

Deidara strained to hear her almost inaudible words.

"Traveling"

"_Don't run Sakura! It's slippery!" a tall, dark-haired man shouted to a little girl running down the trail excitedly._

_They were walking through the forests bordering the Fire Country. The snow was falling steadily and getting thicker as they gathered in sheets on the ground. The clouds looked dark and threatening. Another woman with dark maroon hair and blue eyes looked to the sky and muttered under her breath._

"_A snow storm is coming. We'd better hurry, dear."_

_Staring up at the sky as well, the man agreed. Silently, the trio increased their pace, hoping to get to the nearest inn as soon as possible so as to avoid being caught in the impending storm._

Sakura's eyes were glazed over as the flashbacks continued to bombard her brain.

"Kunai"

_Just as the three were turning right in the fork of a road, a kunai suddenly embedded itself in a tree bark, barely missing the head of the dark haired man who dodged just seconds before impact. Both adults immediately alerted their senses, shinobi instincts kicking in. They stood back to back with Sakura in the middle. _

"_Show yourselves!" the maroon haired woman bellowed._

"_Well, well. Look what we have here boys! A couple of shinobi traveling by themselves. Awww, they even brought their little girl along with them. How sweet… NOT!"_

_A group of rogue shinobi had appeared out of no where and surrounded the three travelers. Their gruff appearances did little to shake the two ninjas who were in a defensive stance in the middle of the circle. Both of the surrounded shinobi assumed that the one who spoke was the leader of the pack._

'_We must protect our little girl, even at the cost of our own lives!' both of them thought in unison as they prepared to engage in battle._

Monotonously, Sakura whispered again.

"Fight"

_The enemy ninja started to attack the trio. Kunai and shuriken flew towards the family. But were easily deflected by the two defending shinobi who were Jounin class at least. The maroon haired woman did some hand seals and immediately, the family trio started to fade and disappear. _

"_Unfortunately, a mere Genjutsu won't work on us lady!" And with that, a rogue ninja appeared in front of her._

"_Kuso!" The blue-eyed woman yelled before she quickly drew out her katana to block the enemy's incoming attack with a kunai._

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" the dark haired man bit his thumb and placed it on the floor._

_A giant ant appeared in a puff of smoke and stunned everyone around momentarily before they recovered. The leader of the rogue ninja summoned his own animal. In another cloud of dust, a huge fruit fly emerged. Both parties started to battle it out. The ant bit the fruit fly injecting poison into it. While the fruit fly squirted acid onto the ant. A furious struggle to gain the upper hand ensued. _

_Sakura, needless to say, was horrified and was rooted to the spot. Terror overrode her senses and she helplessly looked on as the battle raged._

_One of the rogue ninja happened to spot the pink-haired girl and casually landed from his spot in the trees in front of her with a sadistic grin fixated on his ugly face._

"_Muahahahaha. Looks like you're all alone little girl. Hmm, what should I do to you huh? Chop off your pretty little head and place it on my mantle piece? Cut off your limbs and hide them in different locations? Wow, so many choices. Wonder which one I should choose…"_

_He mocked while scratching his chin and faking thoughtfulness._

_Sakura became even more frightened than ever. Her lips quivered and she was shivering from head to toe. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come as the ugly enemy brought his kunai down upon her. In a flash, someone appeared in front of her._

"_Sakura!" her mother shouted before pushing the girl aside into a group of bushes._

And with a shaky voice, Sakura breathed out the last of the words she intended to speak.

"Blood…"

_Everything went in slow motion after that. As she was pushed into the bushes, a trail of crimson liquid spurted out. The bright red droplets seemed to be suspended in the air. Her mother had taken the blow meant for her. Amidst everything, Sakura saw her father. He was still fighting against the leader, but seemed to be reaching his limit, even though both parties seemed to have received the same amount of wounds. Around her, bodies were lying everywhere. Blood stained the snow covered ground and its stench filled the heavy air._

_The last thing Sakura saw before the bushes obscured her view was the back of her collapsing mother who died protecting her. But not before her mother stabbed the shinobi who had tried to kill her daughter, thereby ending his life. She continued to fall but not before whispering loud enough for Sakura to hear._

"_Live."_

_Hitting her head against something, Sakura lay on the snow covered ground._

At this point, tears had started to fall from her eyes. Dripping on to the white sheets and staining it a darker shade. Before long, the trauma-struck girl began to sob uncontrollably as she understood what had happened. Rubbing her eyes profusely, trying to stop the clear liquid from flowing out of her eyes.

Deidara hesitated for a moment, but proceeded to try his best to comfort her by patting her back soothingly with one hand.

"I won't ask you to stop crying, un. It's best to let it all out instead of keeping it in, un."

He smiled gently and continued.

"I lost my family like that as well ya know. But I've decided to move on, un. I figured that if I continued to live in the past, I would never know what waited for me in the future, un. And besides, my family wouldn't have wanted me to sulk over them, un."

But after saying this, he didn't elaborate any further.

"It's still snowing even though the storm has passed, un."

Finally, Sakura's sobs were reduced to sniffles and the occasional hiccups. Silently she thought to herself.

'This girl seems familiar; I know I've seen her before somewhere… She's so strong-willed. I wanna be just like her! I shall stop crying!'

Her thoughts trailed off when Deidara's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"So, un. Are you hungry, un?"

Sakura slowly nodded her head. Walking over to the bag of food which he bought earlier, he carefully prepared a tray and brought it over to where she was so comfortably seated. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Deidara watched her eat with wonder after she had said her thanks for the food.

'For such a small size, she sure eats a lot, un. And quickly too, un!'

Suddenly looking up from her food, Sakura startled Deidara by suddenly yelling.

"I remember you! You're the girl I saw in the forest before I passed out. Who are you? What happened after…?"

Her face suddenly held a downcast expression. But she remembered her resolve to be strong and the look disappeared as soon as it came.

Deidara was mortified when he heard what he thought he heard.

'She said that I'm a girl, un! A freaking GIRL, un! Okay, this is like, so insulting, un!'

Sweat dropping, Deidara nervously laughed and then gave an annoyed expression.

"Eheheheh. I'm a boy, un. A **boy**. Not a girl, un. I'm deidara by the way, un."

"Ah! I'm sakura!" she paused for awhile before adding, "But you sure look like a girl." "

'WHAT THE?! She didn't even apologize, un! Okay, calm down Deidara. She's just a kid, she doesn't know any better. Breathe in, breathe out.' (A/N: Even though Deidara is a kid himself, albeit a little older than Sakura. Heh. -.-")

"Ahahahaha. Okaaaaaaay." So now, they were in an awkward situation with Deidara still holding that annoyed expression.

"So, about what happened…?" Sakura seemed unsure of whether to continue.

"Un! I found you lying on the floor of the forest when I was out picking berries, un." v

Sakura raised an eyebrow and sweat dropped while she continued chewing on the rice in her mouth.

'Out in the forest when a snow storm is approaching picking berries?'

But decided not to probe too much for she thought it would be rude and began to attack the piece of fish on her plate.

'Her appetite is amazing, un. It's a good thing I bought extra food, un. But this shouldn't be that surprising; she hasn't eaten for the past ten hours, un.'

"Once you're done, let's go outside, un."

Deidara grinned, looking at her.

Swallowing the last of her food, Sakura smiled gladly and was immediately dragged out of the room by an excited Deidara. But not before they wore their coats and gloves of course. Even though the storm had just past and it was still snowing, many people could still be seen along the streets. Walking toward the crowds thronging the market place, Sakura took a backward glance towards the old apartment building they just left before vanishing into the crowd with Deidara's hand holding hers.

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Walking past numerous shops, Sakura could not help but be reminded of all the times when her parents would take her out shopping back in Konoha. They had been so happy then. But now, she would never see the smiles on their faces again. Quickly remembering her promise to herself, she pushed the grief from her mind just when Deidara asked her a question.

"So How is it that you were so near Iwagakure, un? Especially, since you're from Konoha, un. Both of these countries are not allies with one another, un. So it's quite dangerous for you, un."

"Ah, we had a special permit given to us. Dad said that my aunt is the wife of some high ruling official here." The pink haired girl replied absent-mindedly while admiring the colorful spinning windmills on display while passing by a shop.

Before Deidara had a change to say anything more, Sakura innocently asked.

"Why do you always make that sound at the end of your sentences?"

'Okay. Wow. What a random question, un.' Deidara sweat dropped and responded.

"It's a habit, un. I've been saying it ever since I can remember, un."

Sakura laughed. "It's funny."

Deidara looked a little irritated by her comment but Sakura just carried on laughing. Eventually, Deidara started laughing as well and both of them ended up laughing for ten minutes straight. This caused some people to stare at the two children and shake their heads while muttering "Kids these days", under their breaths.

When their laughing fit had died down, they resumed their leisurely stroll through the town. Passing by a candy shop, Sakura stopped walking and plastered her face against the display window, amazed by the huge assortment of sweets and chocolate bars. There were candies of every color of the rainbow and even more!

Feeling a tug in his arm, Deidara craned his neck around to find Sakura with her face scrunched up against the shop window.

"Do you like candy, un?"

Sakura's eyes lit up right away and she nodded profusely.

"Ah. Sorry, un. I don't really have any money right now, un." Deidara smiled and scratched the back of his head apologetically.

Sakura just shook her head a blush staining her cheeks, embarrassed that he thought she expected him to buy something for her. Deidara's facial expression suddenly turned serious.

"So what are you going to do now, un?"

Deidara thought he saw a flicker of sadness invade her features. But it was soon replaces with determination. Pulling her coat tighter around herself, Sakura answered calmly.

"I don't know. I guess I should look for my Aunt and tell her what happened."

"Don't worry, un! I'll help you look for her, un." A boyish grin adorned his face once more as he took her hand once again. "Let's start looking for her right away, un!"

Once again, the duo started to weave their way through the ever-growing crowd. Soon they came to a small clearing.

"What's going on over there?" Sakura asked, looking over at the place where a commotion was going on.

"That's the plaza, un. All the official announcements are posted up there, on the notice board, un. Let's go see."

A crowd of medium size had gathered around the board already. Shocked gasps filled the air and anxious whispers could be heard.

"It seems that the notice was just posted up not long ago, un. Since, we didn't hear anything while walking along the streets just now, un."

As they pushed their way to the notice board, it became clear why everyone seemed so tense. This time, the notice was not a notice. In fact, it was an obituary.

When Sakura got close enough to read it, her eyes widened and she paled visibly. While deidara's expression hardened and his eyes narrowed.

Sakura was the first to break the silence. Barely loud enough for Deidara to catch her words, she murmured.

"That's my… Uncle."

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There! I hope you all enjoyed it. v

I'll try to post Chapter 3 out as soon as I can!

Please. R&R! v


	3. The Mission

OMG! I FINALLY DID IT! CHAPTER THREE! THE REAL DEAL!

I removed the redundant A/N which previously occupied this chapter because, well, it was just that – redundant.

And so, I want to thank all those who reviewed here.

Sariasprincy, Silent Kuniochi aka. Fiona, xjinchuurikix, Stefan, SpeedDemon315, xTomomi-Itachi's-Stalkerx, sakura-angel113, TheFoxGirlKitsune, circles in the stream, CrystalxLullaby.

And also to those who placed my story on alert, believing I would update! LOL. And I did! 

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL. 

Now, on with the story.

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_In a room somewhere in the main building of Iwagakure, the Council of Elders sat in a ring around a low stone table. Tea was being served to all members of the circle and when the server finally left the room, a woman with grey hair perfectly tied up in a bun and held in place with a chopstick-like accessory spoke._

"_This is a serious matter. We cannot allow the enemy such easy escape. Something must be done!"_

_A haggard male with thinning hair agreed but was interrupted by another male with his silver locks tied in a low pony tail._

"_Indeed. However, we cannot deny the fact that we were partly to blame for his death…"_

"_I object! We DID warn the fool! What he did after that has nothing to do with us. Besides, there are other more capable rulers in our land. It would not be difficult to elect a new leader in his place."_

_The whole council was in an uproar by then. But the room was immediately silenced by a raised hand from a woman with streaks of grey in her once black mop of hair. There was a single pin sticking out from the intricately weaved and braided hair that sat at the back of her head. Her face held the fine lines and wrinkles that came with years of experience and her eyes held a stern and discerning gaze. With a slight pause, her lips, formerly set in a thin line, began to move._

"_The people will know about this matter soon and there is nothing we can do about it. Bad news travels fast. No doubt that we should have done more when we could. But is it pointless to think of the past. Yes, a new ruler will have to be put in place."_

_Whispers filled the room as the elders discussed amongst themselves their thoughts about the matter._

"_However…"_

"_Our primary concern is to gather information on the deceased and his dealings with the enemy as this could endanger trade relations. The people need to keep the country's economy moving."_

_A string of murmurs erupted once again from the council members but died down when this woman continued._

"_As for the issue of information gathering, I have already made arrangements with the necessary parties."_

_At this moment, the shoji door slid open and a man of medium build strode in with a boy who had his blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail with part of his fringe hanging in front of one of his eyes in tow. The man had crew-cut hair and a puckered line of skin ran from the lobe of his left ear down across his tanned neck towards his right shoulder. No doubt one of the countless scars received in numerous battles. The dark haired male wore a vest and the standard khaki pants with a katana slung on his back. His hardened eyes held respect for the woman in front of him. This was no ordinary man._

_He was a shinobi._

_He bowed as he greeted the female leader of the council._

"_Orika-sama. I have chosen one of my best men to carry out your orders."_

_At this, the blonde haired boy stepped forward. Frowns and disapproving looks settled in the faces of the council members as they realized that this boy could not have been more than ten years of age. Outbursts of disbelief and the like started forth from the elders._

"_This is outrageous!"_

"_He is merely a boy! How can he carry out the mission?!"_

"_Absurd! He'll get killed!"_

_The leader, Orika, brought her eyebrows together in a frown and in what seemed to be a tone of annoyance, spoke one word enough to silence a fish market. She oozed power and authority._

"_Silence!"_

"_This is one of my most trusted and loyal servants. If he thinks that this is one of his best men for the job, then so be it. Also, it would be easier for a boy to follow and track the enemy without being noticed."_

"_My exact sentiments, Orika-sama."_

"_This is Deidara. He will accomplish what you have ordered without delay."_

"_Very well, Seita."_

_Shifting her focus from Seita to Deidara, Orika gave her final words for before the meeting was adjourned._

"_Deidara, you will track and follow the enemy and gather as much information about the details of the deal as possible and their likely hide-out."_

"_I expect no less from someone like you. Be sure to gather as much information as possible on this group of ninja."_

_Turning to face the Council of Elders once more, she ended the meeting with a firm:_

"_Dismissed!"_

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That was supposed to be all that his mission entailed him to do. It had not included rescuing a helpless victim of the enemy's sudden and unexpected detour from their journey.

Sakura's tour of the village had been rudely interrupted when she saw the obituary. Furthermore, Deidara has suddenly been summoned to the main building of Iwagaukre.

Now, said blonde was sitting next to his superior, Seita Ryuusei, once again in the company of the Council of Elders.

Orika spoke.

"We knew that we couldn't keep the news from the people for long, but for it to spread THIS fast? It's barely been a day!"

The elders looked at one another uncertainly.

"Deidara."

He looked up at the mention of his name. 

"We need to know what you have gathered so far. I know it's been too short to gather much, but please inform us of whatever that you have discovered."

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Outside the meeting room, Sakura sat in silence on a stone bench in the reception area. There was only the receptionist doing paper work and picking up the occasional telephone call.

She nervously bit her lip while her hands started fidgeting and wondered what was happening and why Deidara seemed to be far-off when she tried to talk to him.

After the obituary incident at the notice board, a bird seemed to appear out of nowhere from the sky and land on his outstretched arm – a carrier pigeon.

There was a note attached to one of its legs. Deidara had read it with urgency and grabbed Sakura's hand while heading towards a huge domed building without explaining anything. He only told her to "Wait here.", while he entered a room just ahead of her without another word.

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There, I hope you enjoyed it. 

And I know what you're thinking.

'TWO MEETINGS WITH COUNCIL ELDERS IN A SINGLE CHAPTER!?'

'BORING!! I WAS HOPING FOR SOME ACTION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!'

Sorry guys, lol. I wanted to develop the plot a little. Since, I FINALLY came up with a situation.

I also know that this might have been a significantly shorter than the previous chapter and I hope it's not a bother. 

Hopefully, the next chapter will come out in less time than this one did! Thanks for reading and reviewing. (In advance!) (:


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